Wetlands of California’s Central Valley (USA)

Abstract

The Central Valley of California has a total area approximately 4.05 M ha. The drainages of this system is bordered by the Sierra and Coastal mountain ranges. Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the Central Valley contained more than 1.6 M ha of wetlands, chiefly seasonal in nature, based on winter and early-spring flooding. By 2006, over 83,000 ha of managed seasonal and semipermanent wetlands exist. Securing adequate surface water supplies is the most significant challenge facing public and private wetland managers in the Central Valley.